HAGLTP Chapter 78

Ye Qi felt particularly unlucky recently. Although he had been in a state of misfortune for the past few years, it had recently escalated to a point where it could be called a streak of bad luck, or perhaps a clash with the year’s zodiac.

Over the years, he had gradually faded from the spotlight, and the various capital pressures targeting him had begun to ease.

Although he had almost no work, this had given him time for self-improvement, and Ye Qi started planning his first film.

He took his first film very seriously. From selecting the script to casting actors, photographers, and costume designers… he wanted to be involved in every detail of the film.

Finally, the film he had poured almost all his heart and soul into began shooting.

Not long after the cameras started rolling, a piece of bad news struck him like a bolt from the blue— the original novel from which the script was adapted had fallen into a copyright crisis.

The author of the novel had been coaxed into signing a copyright sale contract after a drinking party. When he woke up, he had no memory of it, and the other party seemed unaware as well, until Ye Qi had nearly completed the film preparations, when the news suddenly broke.

Unfortunately, the company currently holding the copyright was called Tian Sheng Entertainment, the very party that had been most aggressive in suppressing Ye Qi back in the day.

At that time, they had heavily promoted a certain male star who had a similar positioning to Ye Qi, but had repeatedly lost in direct confrontations with him, quickly fading into obscurity and nearly costing the company everything.

Since then, this company had always regarded Ye Qi as a thorn in their side.

“Tian Sheng Entertainment…”

Ye Qi frowned, his dark circles heavy under his eyes, and stubble already sprouting on his chin, indicating he hadn’t slept a wink.

He wasn’t foolish; Tian Sheng Entertainment choosing to release news about the copyright at this juncture was definitely not as they claimed, a “sudden discovery,” but rather a premeditated move. They were watching Ye Qi toil over this script, then chose to deliver a fatal blow at a critical moment.

Even the authenticity of the so-called contract was hard to determine.

But figuring out the truth would take time and connections. Now that his film had started shooting, expenses were flowing out like water, and even though he had once been a highly valued film emperor, he couldn’t withstand such a burn.

Ye Qi had no time, and his connections were no match for the industry giant Tian Sheng Entertainment.

More bad news followed in quick succession.

The actor playing the lead suddenly called him, hesitatingly saying, “Brother Ye, I’ve not been feeling well lately and need to be hospitalized for a while…”

Ye Qi’s voice was hoarse, but his tone remained calm: “Got it.”

This wasn’t the first actor to call him with an excuse of an accident. He knew these were just their excuses, but what did it matter? He also knew that behind it all, it was mostly Tian Sheng Entertainment’s doing.

Still the same question: what did it matter to know?

Next came a call from an investor, a person who had known him for nearly ten years and had always expressed confidence in Ye Qi’s directorial debut, who also withdrew their investment.

The other party didn’t explain the reason, and Ye Qi didn’t ask; it was something both sides understood.

After hanging up, Ye Qi collapsed onto the sofa, feeling as if he had fallen into an endless whirlpool, with not even a piece of driftwood around him.

The sky gradually brightened, and the phone rang again. This time, the caller’s name was “Ning Si Liu.”

Ye Qi cleared his throat, trying to mask his exhaustion: “Why are you calling me so early? Didn’t you sleep in?”

Ning Si Liu’s voice came from the other end: “Ye Qi, have you not slept all night?”

Ye Qi smiled wearily: “You caught me…”

“I knew it.” Ning Si Liu sighed, but quickly changed the subject, “I’m here to bring you some good news.”

“Hmm.” Ye Qi raised the corners of his mouth. He didn’t think that the music-loving Ning Si Liu could solve his current crisis, but just hearing the other’s voice was already a comfort to him.

“My dad has a friend abroad who said a friend of his is looking to invest in the film and television industry in the country. He heard about our relationship and the recent events, so he wanted to know if you needed investment.”

“Investment…” Ye Qi was surprised; he hadn’t expected anyone would want to invest in him at this time.

“My dad said that person is a steel tycoon from Country G, and this is his first interest in the film and television industry. He’s very flexible with the investment amount, but one requirement is that the lead must be someone he designates.”

At this point, Ning Si Liu’s tone was somewhat dissatisfied; he felt that Ye Qi’s choice of actors was already quite good, and this kind of investor insisting on a designated lead sounded very ominous.

Ye Qi wasn’t angry and continued to ask, “Did he say who it is?”

“Tim Coppola, I don’t think I’ve heard of this name before.”

Ye Qi straightened up from the sofa: “Tim Coppola!”

“Is he very famous? I don’t remember seeing any of his movies.”

“It’s normal if you haven’t seen him; he’s an actor from Country G specializing in art films, has won several best actor awards, and his acting skills are top-notch. He’s just not interested in commercial films, and his works have hardly been screened domestically.”

Ye Qi’s eyes seemed to reignite with light: “If it’s Tim Coppola, he’s much better than the person I had in mind. The character in the original work is supposed to be a foreigner, so we wouldn’t even need to adjust the script.”

He had originally wanted to find a capable international actor to play the role, but due to cost issues, he had to compromise.

But the script…

Thinking of this, Ye Qi’s expression turned bitter. If the issues with Tian Sheng Entertainment weren’t resolved, his film still couldn’t proceed.

The light in Ye Qi’s eyes dimmed again: “Si Liu, please thank him for me, but…”

“Wait—” Ning Si Liu suddenly raised his voice, interrupting Ye Qi, “I have an even bigger piece of good news. Turn on the TV and switch to the news channel, quick!”

Ye Qi, puzzled, turned on the TV, and then… the face of this internationally renowned film emperor wore an expression he had never seen before.

“Tian Sheng Entertainment is embroiled in an international scandal, with the boss and company executives suspected of involvement in a transnational drug trafficking case, half of whom have already been arrested. The incident is currently under police investigation.”

“Due to the impact of the case, Tian Sheng Entertainment’s stock price has plummeted, and employees have stated that the company is on the verge of bankruptcy.”

In a corner that the news didn’t focus on, a male artist named Xiao Keyang had briefly risen to fame, only to quickly fade away.

Newcomers in the entertainment industry emerged one after another, and soon no one remembered this name.

·

Yang Ranyi became the heir to the estate of the Ms. He she had only met once, allowing her to move out of her suffocating original family and into an apartment near the school.

In the past two years, she had lived quite steadily. The incident with the necklace was cleared up; it was caused by a restless servant of a transfer student.

She no longer had family members who drained her, and the estate management agency provided her with a substantial allowance each month, arranged the best tutors, and regularly took her to participate in grand events to broaden her horizons.

The abundance of material wealth and spiritual satisfaction transformed Yang Ranyi; she became increasingly confident, her demeanor and speech becoming poised and graceful.

The first place in her grade finally came into her hands.

She became the first choice for various school performance activities.

All the attention that had once been snatched away by the transfer student returned to her, but Yang Ranyi no longer cared.

Teachers and classmates were merely passersby in her life, including that transfer student who had repeatedly tried to provoke her like a wild chicken.

She had seen a broader world, made friends she could confide in, and her perspective was no longer confined to the small space of the campus.

Thus, she wanted to grow up quickly, leave this place, and experience more unknown people and things.

Today, on her way home from school, Yang Ranyi suddenly encountered an attack from behind.

When she woke from her unconsciousness, she found her hands and feet bound, her eyes covered, and her mouth taped shut. She could feel her body swaying rhythmically, and the smell of exhaust fumes tickled her nose.

She had been kidnapped.

Yang Ranyi quickly made the judgment.

She didn’t panic and cry out; instead, she forced herself to calm down, thinking about the chances of calling the police and how to negotiate with the kidnappers.

……

The car came to a stop.

The trunk was opened, and Yang Ranyi felt the damp air carrying the scent of soil, and she could vaguely hear the sound of water, as if they were by a lake.

Just when she thought she would be roughly pulled out of the trunk, she heard two people in front of her conversing.

“Is the rope long enough?”

“Don’t worry, tying a few weight plates will definitely be enough. When the time comes, just sink it into the water, and it won’t float back up.”

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Yang Ranyi; she realized that these two people were not the kidnappers she had previously thought, but were planning— to kill her.

The poor campus literary heroine was forced into a storm that would never have appeared in her life.

“Why is this girl sweating? Is she awake?”

Yang Ranyi’s heart raced like a drum, and countless self-rescue plans flashed through her mind, but none could help her survive in the current situation.

“Quick—” the voice suddenly stopped.

Yang Ranyi seemed to hear the sounds of a struggle and a body hitting the ground, but the process was too brief for her to be sure.

Footsteps approached her, sounding lighter than the previous two.

The footsteps stopped in front of the trunk, then, amidst Yang Ranyi’s mixed feelings of anticipation and fear, the trunk door was closed again.

Who was it? What was the purpose of closing the door again??

Yang Ranyi’s clothes were already soaked with cold sweat, her mind a chaotic mess.

Gradually, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and her consciousness began to blur.

……

When she woke up again, the sound of noisy police sirens filled her ears.

The blindfold was removed, revealing a policewoman’s comforting smile: “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

With the officer’s help, Yang Ranyi got out of the trunk. She looked around and found herself on the highway; the car that had kidnapped her had been in an accident, colliding with a vehicle that was attempting to turn left.

The two kidnappers had also been handcuffed and were being escorted to a police car.

The policewoman said to her: “You’re lucky; they had an accident while trying to take you out of the city. They originally wanted to settle it privately, but the person in the other car saw the trunk open a crack, with someone lying inside, and quietly reported it to the police, waiting for us to arrive.”

Yang Ranyi frowned, feeling somewhat unreal.

She clearly remembered being taken to the lakeside, and they were discussing how to sink her to the bottom of the lake. How had she suddenly appeared on the highway?

Could it be that everything that had happened before was just a dream she had on the way?

And that approaching sound of footsteps.

Was that also… a dream?

In a direction she hadn’t noticed, a low-key black sedan quietly left the scene.

Yang Ranyi turned her head as if sensing something, but only saw two somewhat familiar silhouettes inside the car. They seemed like people she had seen before, but not to the extent that she could recognize them at a glance.

Regardless of the truth of the matter, the girl who had escaped a calamity decided to hire a bodyguard starting today, preferably with a larger number.

She had plenty of pocket money now; the necklace that had almost ruined her life back then could now buy her several in a month.

Having experienced the power of wealth and authority, Yang Ranyi would not be confused.

She must get into H University’s doctoral program and then smoothly inherit the estate. She still had many things she wanted to do; she wanted to participate in the future of this world.

“Has the security company been arranged?”

“It’s already in place; they are all veterans and special forces, some of whom have even participated in peacekeeping missions.”

“Very good.”

“You’re really nice to the young girl.”

“A serious and hardworking young girl deserves a little favor from fate.”

“I’m also serious and hardworking.”

“Can you sit in the park and cry?”

“……I guess that’s not impossible.”

“………………”